"........Confirmed."
Shi Yu sighed.
Everything was real.
The ability was real, the Inheritance was real. The Evil was real, and death was real.
Just as Shi Yu was about to put on his clothes to check on Han He and Hu Zihao, he heard a gentle knock on the dormitory door, which then opened slightly. Hu Zihao's head poked in, and he met Shi Yu's gaze.
Hu Zihao froze for a moment, then waved at Shi Yu.
Immediately after, the door fully opened, and Han He walked in, looking at Shi Yu.
"....Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
Mornings in the Northeast in early autumn were always foggy. The temperature hadn't yet reached freezing, but it was already cool, and a biting wind carried the moist fog into people's pores. On the playground, three boys walked and talked.
"Yang Desheng is already loitering by the school gate so early. He definitely knows about last night."
Hu Zihao frowned. The feeling of knowing someone was problematic yet being helpless was infuriating. Annoyed as he was, there was nothing else to do for now. It was better to first figure out what he was curious about.
Hu Zihao asked Shi Yu.
"So, you really have superpowers?"
Hu Zihao looked at Shi Yu and asked. His fingertips and joints were carefully wrapped in layers of bandages, and a crisp scent, like a cold wind blowing through a birch forest, slipped from the gaps in the bandages.
Undoubtedly, that was Han He's doing.
It had to be said that Hu Zihao's mentality was truly good. Even though he was the one who nearly died last night, he could still talk to him lively this morning. What a big heart.
Shi Yu looked at Hu Zihao's hands and nodded. He had already understood what happened last night. After he fainted, Han He treated Hu Zihao's wounds and sent him back to the dormitory.
And throughout the entire process, no one woke up; everyone seemed to be in a death-like sleep.
Shi Yu raised his hand, looking at the lines on his fingers, and slowly began to speak.
"It's as if knowledge has been poured into me. If before my use of abilities was a vague idea, now it's a definite perception. I clearly know I am using my power."
Then Shi Yu turned to Han He and said:
"I am indeed not an Inheritor, but the ability I gained tells me that my ability is 'Mind Power'. The ladder of Mind Power, the first step is 'Coincidence'. It sounds similar to the 'Art' you mentioned before."
"I can make small, logical things happen, such as influencing a person's minor movements or opening a door that can be opened. Besides that, I can also move objects with my mind, but only small, light things, and the speed of movement will not exceed the limit of how fast I can throw them by hand. This seems to be a form of Mind Power. Additionally, my thinking ability has improved; I can easily focus on one thing without getting distracted."
Han He thought for a moment and said:
"I've never heard my grandfather talk about this, but it's a good thing nonetheless."
Hu Zihao listened from the side, extremely envious. It was the superpower of his dreams, but he was also terrified at the same time.
"If there weren't people like Han He and Shi Yu, then I would have definitely died last night. And not just me, what about later? What else would happen later?"
Talking about the current situation on and off, the three quickly arrived at a secluded corner.
Han He also pulled out the oiled paper package from his pocket. He had already used some yesterday, but half remained. He took out the materials inside, placed the dagger on the ground, and said,
"I told you, my Inheritance is that of a Hunter, and the power of Inheritance starts from ten, with smaller numbers indicating stronger power. But you just awakened last night and already know you are at the first step. I believe your power is the opposite of Inheritance; the larger the number, the stronger it is."
Han He spoke, but his hands didn't stop moving. Twigs, bird feathers, and beast teeth outlined strange shapes on the ground. Han He picked up the dagger and plunged it into the center of the pattern.
"Ninth Art: Wolf Fang."
Han He picked up two bottles of liquid, one in each hand. With a rub of his thumbs, the caps of both bottles came off.
"My physical quality, strength, and five senses are enhanced. I can accumulate power in silence and stability. I can use materials to perform rituals related to wildness, nature, and spirits to unleash unconventional power, used to combat incorporeal Evil."
"No wonder he's like a mute every day; turns out he's saving up for something big," Shi Yu thought to himself.
Han He's right hand slowly poured out a soft, reddish-brown liquid. It slid down the dagger, leaving a reddish-brown path, like a winding snake.
His left hand, however, sharply inverted, and clear liquid, with a crisp sound of detaching from glass, crashed down, all splashing onto the dagger, shattering the traces of the reddish-brown liquid.
And the surrounding twigs, bird feathers, and beast teeth seemed to come alive, subtly rising and falling.
At this moment, Shi Yu and Hu Zihao seemed to hear the howling of wild beasts.
"'Veins of Verdant Blood,' a minor ritual, one of the rituals I can master. It can reactivate the power of ritual materials, allowing them to function independently, and link the initiator of the ritual with them, gaining the blessing of power."
Han He quickly put away all his things, tucking them into his arms.
Class time was approaching.
"Let's leave it at that. Let's go to class first. Anyway, that Evil from last night saw us, and Yang Desheng is watching the gate, so there's no escaping. It doesn't matter either way."
Shi Yu watched Han He put things away, then led the two towards the teaching building, saying as they walked:
"I feel that the mark on Hu Zihao has disappeared. If Evil needs to kill people to increase its power and pass its promotion stage, then after its failure last night, it should be a bit weaker? I want to see who was marked by that Evil today, and then tonight, we'll do the same as yesterday. This time I've gained abilities, so maybe I can successfully stop it again. That way, its power will quickly weaken, and Yang Desheng will also become weaker, and we should be able to last until next Friday."
Hu Zihao sighed and said:
"It's a pity we're not a match for that Evil. Yesterday, it just closed a door, and we struggled so much. If it weren't for you two, I would have died there yesterday. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm going to wet my pants."
Shi Yu pushed open the door of the teaching building and said:
"Now I don't dare to use my ability on Yang Desheng easily. If we don't expose our abilities now, maybe he'll still have some scruples. If he finds out that we're not actually his match, we'll be in trouble. I'm afraid we'll be directly classified as missing."
Han He looked distantly towards the school gate. Besides Yang Desheng, there were two school leaders standing there. Han He had seen those two at the opening ceremony of the sports meet before.
Han He frowned and followed behind Shi Yu and Hu Zihao into the teaching building.
Soon after the three entered the teaching building, Yang Desheng seemed to have seen something from afar and said something to the gatekeeper. Then he hurriedly made a phone call and left the school gate. Before long, a car that Shi Yu and the others had longed for stopped at the school gate.
A police car.
The police had arrived.
And the principal also ran out of the teaching building. It seemed Yang Desheng's call just now was to the principal. The teaching building was some distance from the gate, so it would take some time for the principal to run there, but the police had already gotten out of the car. There were four police officers in total, and they all walked to the guardhouse.
"Hello, these are our credentials. A notice has recently been issued, and we need to conduct a thorough inspection and safety briefing at the school. If convenient, please contact the school leadership."
The older police officer leading them handed over his credentials through the guardhouse window.
There were two male gatekeepers. Both took the credentials and examined them carefully, then exchanged glances. The older gatekeeper said:
"Alright, alright, please wait. I'll open the door now. Please register here. The principal will be here shortly."
Then he pressed the gate switch, handed the credentials back to the police, and the gate slowly opened. The two gatekeepers also walked out.
At this moment, the principal also ran over. The fat Zhang Ya, panting heavily, didn't forget to greet the police.
"Oh... oh dear... Officers... Officers, why didn't you... oh dear... notify us in advance... so we could prepare to welcome you..."
Zhang Ya was still out of breath. The four police officers didn't speak immediately. Instead, they waited for Zhang Ya to calm down a bit before the older police officer spoke:
"It's like this, we also received a last-minute notice from above, and it was very urgent, so this inspection is also being conducted urgently, which is why there was no prior notification."
At the same time, the old police officer slightly raised his hand, and the three younger police officers behind him understood, double-checking the status of their body cameras.
"I understand, I understand. I am the principal of No. 12 High School of Yi City. My surname is Zhang, and my name is Zhang Ya. I will definitely cooperate fully with this inspection. Shall I show you around?"
Zhang Ya, having recovered, introduced himself.
The old police officer, however, waved his hand, refusing Zhang Ya's offer.
"No need. This inspection does not require accompaniment. We are mainly responsible for checking safety hazards in the teaching building and dormitory building, and for checking if safety facilities are complete. We have all been to Twelve Middle School and are familiar with the layout."
"Ah... haha.... That's really troubling you. It's not easy to come all this way. I have some homemade tea in my office. Shall we rest for a bit before we start?"
A flicker of disgust crossed the old police officer's eyes, but the expression quickly vanished. He refused Zhang Ya's invitation once again.
"Principal Zhang, we have limited time and a heavy task, so we need to start quickly. We still have two more schools to visit today. If you are already aware of this inspection and have confirmed our identities, please go back. We will leave on our own after the inspection is complete."
The old police officer's words were stiff and left no room for refusal. Seeing no room for maneuver, Zhang Ya could only leave dejectedly.